Hold Tight
by Kaleidoscopic Panda Bear
Summary: Shay seemed to back down with shyness, until Shane caught his eye. Before she could ask the kid what was wrong, he mumbled out, "I feel like I'm gonna throw up." Well, shit. "Oh, uh, uh-" Shane swallowed, mentally cursing her stutter, "the bathroom is right over there!" (S4E2: "Livin' La Vida Loca".)


**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Schooling, clothes, legal guardianship. Their father, Shay's mother. A room in the house. Shane knew there was a lot of (legal and otherwise) problems with this whole situation. She _knew._ And she hated the fact that her friends didn't believe in her. So much for the confidence boost. But, Shay wasn't a situation. Nor was he a 'present', like his mother had so kindly referred to him as. Shay was her brother; half kin or full, Shane didn't care. All that mattered now was stepping up and taking responsibility for him.

Kit's voice broke Shane out of her musings. "Hey, Shay...You like your cake?" Alice jumped in with, "Did you finish your milkshake?" Now that everyone was looking at him, Shay seemed to back down with shyness, until Shane caught his eye. Before she could ask the kid what was wrong, he mumbled out, "I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

_Well, shit. _"Oh, uh, uh-" Shane swallowed, mentally cursing her stutter, "the bathroom is right over there!" Shay paused for a second, hesitating, before heading off towards the door his sister had pointed out. "Shane!" Bette hissed out. Shane turned to look at her, already feeling guilty. "What?" Better gave her a scalding look. "You should go with him!" Kit or Alice, Shane couldn't tell which, chimed in with a little, "Yeah!"

Getting defensive, Shane half-shouted, "What the hell am _I _supposed to do?" Bette waved her hands towards her head. "Hold his hair!" "He doesn't have any hair!" Shane shot back. Finally, Bette snapped at her. "Would you just go!" Getting up without another word, Shane stalked off towards the bathroom.

"Oh, she is so not ready for this," Bette muttered.

The bathroom was empty, save for the handicap stall at the end. _Thank god for small miracles._ "Shay..?" Shane called the boy's name, tapping lightly on the stall door. It was locked, and all she got for an answer was the classic puking noise. _Wonderful._ Crouching down, Shane peeked under the stall door. Sure enough, Shay was down on his knees with his head in the toilet.

Shane sighed. She slid under the door on her back, shaking the back of her shirt off when she sat up. Shay whimpered next to her. "Shay, you alright?" Shane winced. _Stupid question._ Shay shook his head and gagged again, dry heaving. "Hey, you gotta breathe. In your nose, out your mouth." The sick boy groaned. "But it already came out my mouth!" The panic on his face made Shane feel bad, but she couldn't help it; She chuckled a bit at the misunderstanding and shook her head. The humor was short lived, though, as Shay ducked back down and threw up again.

Grimacing, Shane started rubbing his back. Rubbing calming circles over his shoulder blade, she caught his hand when he shoved it out and held it. Shay squeezed hard, crying now, trying to wipe his mouth off with the flannel he had on. "Hey, no. Don't get it on your clothes. C'mon, do you think you're done?" He gave her a nod, wrinkling his nose as Shane flushed the toilet for him and helped him stand up.

Wandering over to the sink, she said, "Here, wash your mouth out, and then we'll get you a bottle of water and head home." Looking up at her, Shay nodded.

Jenny saw them come out of the bathroom first. She squealed, getting a couple of odd looks in the process, but the others understood soon enough. "Awe, that's so cute," Alice said, smiling. Shane was leading Shay through the slightly crowded room, the boy clutching one of her hands in both of his. He stuck close to her side, and every now and then, they could see Shane turn around and reassure her brother.

They reached the counter, Shane exchanged a few words with the worker behind it, and a bottle of water was handed over. They watched as Shane leaned down, eye level with Shay, unscrewed the cap and handed the bottle over. The kid took a few tentative sips before gulping half, and Alice and Jenny practically made the same noise of endearment.

Shane took the bottle back, capped it, and smiled at whatever Shay said to her. The smile turned into a laugh at a few more words he mumbled, and Shane stood straight, ruffled his hair and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Before he could complain, Shane held a hand out for him to take. Almost immediately, Shay wound his hand into hers with a small, shy smile. It really was cute.

The siblings made their way back over to the main group, joined hands swinging slightly between them. "Hey, uh, I'm gonna take him home. Obviously not feeling good and all." Nods and words of agreement and departure sounded from Shane's friends, and as she led Shay away from them and out of the club, Bette turned to her own sister.

"I don't know, Kit," She smiled slightly through a sigh, "Maybe she _is_ ready for this."


End file.
